MMA Fighter Bios: JAKE SHIELDS
JAKE SHIELDS
BORN: Mt. Ranch, California
5’11, middleweight and welterweight
A veteran of hundreds of submission wrestling matches, Jake Shields also was a 2-time All American wrestler from Cuesta Collge. Shields decided to dabble into the world of MMA in October 1999, and it turned out to be a very positive move for the American.
He would go 7-2 over the next two years and win battles in the IFC as well as local shows in Californina. After a loss to Ray Cooper in the summer of 2002, Shields would go 4-0-1 and avenge his loss to Cooper in the process via rear naked choke. His BJJ was excpetional and his defeat of Cooper secured him the Shooto Middleweight belt.
He already had a belt to his name, a win over Japanese legend Hayato Sakurai, but it wasn’t until he put on an incredible performance at the Rumble on the Rock tournament in 2006 that Shields turns a massive amount of heads in the MMA industry. He defeated former UFC champ Dave Menne in the oponent round, and went on to take out Yushin Okami and Carlos Condit in the same nigth to become the tournament champion. 7 straight wins was impressive enough, but he then went on to take out UFC vet Renato Verissimo by strikes and follow that up with a win over Mike Pyle.
Shields was considered by many was the best welterweight outside of the UFC, and he only added to that hype by taking out Nick Thompson via guillotine in a minute to became the first Elite XC welterweight champ. He defended his crown against Paul Daley with a slick armbar in round 2 in October 2008. Mixing up strikes, wrestling, and submissions, Shields has been able to smoothly transition from various aspects of the MMA game and work his way to earning victory after victory. He stepped up to a 182 pound catchweight to take on dangerous fighter Robbie Lawler, and found himself choking out the tough competitor in 2 minutes.
With the win Shields has won 12 straight fights, 8 straight finishes and continues to flourish and improve at the Cesar Gracie fight champ, which includes excellent training partners such as Nick Diaz, Nate Diaz and Gilbert Melendez.
SHELDS THE CHAMPION—LIST OF FORMER TITLES
Shooto Middleweight Champ
EliteXC Welterweight
Rumble On The Rock Welterweight Champ
